Cooling fan and lighting fixture for automobile ceilings



Feb. 21, 1967 T. J- RAMNICEANU 3,305,168

COOLING FAN AND LIGHTING FIXTURE FOR AUTOMOBILE CEILINGS Filed April 25, 1965 INVENTOR. TIBERIU JUSTINIAN RAMNICEANU ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,305,168 COOLING FAN AND LIGHTING FIXTURE FOR AUTOMOBILE CEILINGS Tiberiu Justinian Ramniceanu, 18 4th St., South River, NJ. 08882 Filed Apr. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 450,309 4 Claims. (Cl. 230-2495) This invention deals with a cooling and lighting fixture which is mountable onto the ceiling inside of an automobile. More specifically, it relates to a fixture attachable to a top inside of a car and designed to serve as a cooling fan and lighting means therein.

Present clay automobiles generally have a combination heater and cooler near the floor ahead of the front seat. A fan within the unit is turned on by a switch on the dash and, in the event the heater is not turned on, the unheated air in the car is circulated to serve as a cooling means. Such an arrangement has many disadvantages. In the first place, cooling is generally desired in the neighborhood of the face and head, which area received little cooling by the conventional f-an means. Furthermore, due to the fact that the front seat is ahead :of the fan, little of the cooling is received in the rear seat. Other disadvantages involve picking up, by the air currents, of dust and other polluting particles, and circulating them to the passengers to be breathed, inability to effect automatic operation of the cooling fan, etc.

According to the present invention, a combination fixture is substituted for the little-used conventional ceiling light fixture in the car. Since the electric wiring is already inst-alled, it is an easy matter to quickly effect the substitution and thus obtain, not only a ceiling light, but also a cooling fan which cools the upper portions of the bodies of the passengers, with substantially dust-free air, and which also contributes other valuable advantages, such as aiding in defrosting of the rear windows. Another valuable feature is the ability to cool off the car when a door is open, in the case of modern cars equipped with door lighting switches. Other advantages will become apparent from the description which is to follow.

The present invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which a preferred embodiment is described, and in which FIG- URE 1 presents a bottom view of a preferred fixture of the present invention. FIGURE 2 illustrates a cross-sectional side view, on an enlarged scale, of a fixture, such as that depicted in FIGURE 1, taken along the plane of line 22, as mounted in a car on the top thereof, while FIG- URE 3 shows a cross-sectional bottom view, similar to that of FIGURE 1, taken along the plane of line 3-3 in FIGURE 2. The same numerals refer to similar parts in the various views.

Referring again to the drawing, numeral 5 represents generally a stamped or molded housing of sheet metal, rigid plastic, or the like, having a fiat circumferential lip 6 for effecting a sealing junction with the fabric covering 7 of an automobile top 8. Such tops usually have, attached thereto, channel or similarly-shaped sheet mounting strip members 9, for receiving screws or other attaching means, and it is to these members that the fabric 7 is actually afiixed.

Housing 5 has a generally downwardly-bulged inner contour, and it desirably has a projecting forward portion 10, which is not bulged out as deeply as the rearward portion 11, which latter is of generally circular cross-section. Near the lower terminus of rear bulged portion 11, is a cross plate 12 which peripherally is attached to housing portion 11 by screws of rive-ts 13. Plate 12 serves as a mounting means for fan motor 14, which is attached thereto by means of screws 15. A

3,305,168 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 resilient gasket 16 preferably is inserted between the two to effect silent operation of the motor. Motor shaft 17 extends through plate 12 and the fan 20, mounted on its end, rotates in space .18 therebelow. Plate 12 also is provided with large perforations or openings 19 to permit adequate flow of air therethrough. The lowermost portion of housing portion 11 is provided with a light transmitting portion or lens 21 which may be a part of the housing. If a lens is used, it is held on thereto by a locking ring 22, for example.

Attached to housing portion 1:1, directly above lens 21, at 24, is concave reflector 2-3, in the center of which is mounted an electric bulb 25, which is designed to serve as the illumination for the interior of the car. Attached to the inside of the projecting forward portion 10 of housing 5 is a switch 26 for light bulb 25, said switch having a toggle control 27 protruding outside of housing 5. There is also provided a toggle 28 for another switch for on-oif control of the speed of the motor 14. Forward portion 10 of the housing can be disposed immediately above and to the rear of the driver so that the driver may reach up and operate the switches without removing his eyes from the road.

Chamber (or space) 29 above plate 12 is provided with air inlet perforations or openings 30' in housing 5. Also, chamber 18 disposed below plate 12 is provided with air discharge perforations or openings 31 in housing 5.

The operation of the unit is as follows: Nearly all closed cars have a ceiling light operated by a switch at the dash or on the side of the car. This light is removed (if the car already is provided with one), and the wire leads thereof are connected to the proper leads 32 of the fixture of the present invention. Then, the fixture is attached to strips 9 by means of screws 33, or in any other suitable manner. To operate the unit, the on-ofi? switch already present in the car (as heretofore outlined) is put in on position. Then, the on-off operation of motor 14 may be regulated by switch 2 8, and the operation of light 25 may be regulated by switch 27, via wires 34, 35, 36, 37, etc., which wires are led through suitable openings 38, 19, etc. When fan 20 is rotated, air is drawn into chamber 29 through vents '30, as shown by the arrows, and it passes through holes .19 in plate 12, out through vents 31, and into the car interior. In the event the car is equipped with door switches which put on the interior lights when a car door is opened, the fan may be made to operate so as to effect a cooling of the car interior prior to entry therein of the passengers. Also, when the fan is set to high speed position in winter, air flowing through rear vents 31' can serve to defrost the rear car window.

Although, the housing is shown as being mounted at its edge, it is to be understood that the housing may be mounted in any other way, such as by means of a mounting post 39, which is shown in cut-off position in FIGURE 2.

I claim:

1. An air-cooling and lighting fixture mountable onto a car top in an automobile provided with a top light switch and wiring therefor, comprising, in combination,

a perforated housing mountable on the inside of a car top, and made of sheet material and having a downwardly-bulged interior portion,

a perforated plate peripherally mounted within and across said bulged portion in a manner so as to define an upper chamber and a lower chamber in said housing,

a fan motor mounted on a portion of said plate in a manner such that its shaft protrudes downwardly through said plate and its fan is disposed in said lower chamber,

a light mounted in said lower portion of said housing and designed to illuminate the interior of a car, and

suitable wiring connecting said motor and suitable wiring connecting said light, said motor and light wiring being connectable to a cars top light switch wiring.

2. An air-cooling and lighting fixture mountable onto a car top in an automobile provided with a top light switch and wiring therefor, comprising, in combination,

a housing made of sheet material and having a downwardly-bulged interior portion,

a perforated plate peripherally mounted within and across said bulged portion in a manner so as to define an upper and a lower chamber in said housing, the bottom of the lower chamber being designed to transmit light,

a fan motor mounted on a portion of said plate in a manner such that its shaft protrudes downwardly through said plate and its fan is disposed in said lower chamber,

a light mounted in said lower chamber above said lighttransmitting portion and designed to illuminate the interior of a car,

suitable wiring connecting said motor, and suitable wiring connecting said light, said motor and light wiring being connectable to a car's top light switch wiring, and

perforations in said housing defining the upper and lower chambers and arranged so that when said fan is in operation, air is drawn into the perforations of said upper chamber, thence through said perforated plate, and is then discharged through the perforations in said lower chamber.

,3. An air cooling and lighting fixture mountable onto a car top in an automobile provided with a top light switch and Wiring therefor, comprising, in combination,

a housing mountable on the inside of a car top, and

made of sheet material and having a downwardlybulged interior portion defining a forward smaller portion and a rearward larger portion,

a perforated plate peripherally mounted within and across said bulged larger portion in a manner so as to define an upper chamber and a lower chamber in said housing,

a fan motor mounted on a portion of said plate in a manner such that its shaft protrudes downwardly through said plate and its fan is disposed in said lower chamber,

a light mounted in said lower chamber and designed to illuminate the interior of a car,

a light switch and a motor switch disposed within said smaller bulged portion and having suitable switches protruding out of said housing,

suitable wiring connecting said motor and its switch and said light and its switch, said motor and light wiring being connectable to a ca-rs top light switch wiring, and

perforations in said housing defining the upper and lower chambers and arranged so that when said fan is in operation, air is drawn into the perforations of said upper chamber, thence through said perforated plate, and is then discharged through the perforations in said lower chamber.

4. An air-cooling and lighting system for car tops,

comprising, in combination,

an automobile top having an interior top light switch and wiring therefor,

a perforated housing mountable on the inside of said automobile top, and made of sheet material and having a downwardly-bulged interior portion,

a perforated plate peripherally mounted within and across said bulged portion in a manner so as to define an upper chamber and a lower chamber in said housing,

a fan motor mounted on a portion of said plate in a manner such that its shaft protrudes downwardly through said plate and its fan is disposed in said lower chamber,

a light mounted in said lower portion of said housing and designed to illuminate the interior of a car, and

suitable wiring connecting said motor and suitable wiring connecting said light, said motor and light wiring being connectable to said automobile top light switch wiring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS LAURENCE V. EFNER, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN AIR-COOLING AND LIGHTING FIXTURE MOUNTABLE ONTO A CAR TOP IN AN AUTOMOBILE PROVIDED WITH A TOP LIGHT SWITCH AND WIRING THEREFOR, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PERFORATED HOUSING MOUNTABLE ON THE INSIDE OF A CAR TOP, AND MADE OF SHEET MATERIAL AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY-BULGED INTERIOR PORTION, A PERFORATED PLATE PERIPHERALLY MOUNTED WITHIN AND ACROSS SAID BULGED PORTION IN A MANNER SO AS TO DEFINE AN UPPER CHAMBER AND A LOWER CHAMBER IN SAID HOUSING, A FAN MOTOR MOUNTED ON A PORTION OF SAID PLATE IN A MANNER SUCH THAT ITS SHAFT PROTRUDES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID PLATE AND ITS FAN IS DISPOSED IN SAID LOWER CHAMBER, 